Extraordinary means far beyond the ordinary — astonishing, whether for good reasons or bad. An extraordinary achievement, extraordinary courage, an extraordinary claim.
The stress falls on the second syllable — ex-TRAOR-dinary — and most speakers say five syllables rather than six. It also has a precise formal sense meaning outside the usual arrangements: an extraordinary general meeting is one called outside the yearly schedule, and an ambassador extraordinary is appointed for a particular purpose. Note extraordinary rendition, a euphemism from the intelligence world, which uses the formal sense to sound procedural.
1adjectiveextraordinaryFar beyond the ordinary; astonishing.
“It was an extraordinary thing to attempt at that age.”
synonyms: remarkable, astonishing, exceptional
2adjectiveoutsideOutside the usual arrangements.
“An extraordinary meeting was called for the Tuesday.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
extraordinary is a degree beyond the usual.
Latin extra ordinem meant outside the order — the regular sequence of things. The two words became one, and the formal English sense of an extraordinary meeting keeps the original meaning intact while the everyday sense drifted into astonishment.
Latin
extrāōrdinārius
English, today
extraordinary
Built from
From Latin extrāōrdinārius, from extrā ōrdinem (“outside the order”). by surface analysis, extra- + ordinary. a doublet of extraordinaire.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA